Contents

The stadium was designed by Seattle architect George W. Stoddard, also known for his work on the Green Lake Aqua Theater and the south stands of Husky Stadium.[2] Dedicated 68 years ago in late 1947, Memorial Stadium was built in memory of the Seattle youth who gave their lives in World War II. A memorial wall at the east end is inscribed with the names of over 700 fallen individuals.[3] The following year, the stadium hosted first widespread local television broadcast in the Puget Sound region, the Turkey Day high school football game between West Seattle and Wenatchee.[4]

The stadium was the venue for much of the opening ceremonies for the Century 21 Exposition, a World's Fair held in Seattle in 1962. In 1967, it became the first high school stadium in the country to install artificial turf.[5]

In 1992, the scoreboard was replaced and the field was rededicated as "Leon H. Brigham Field", in tribute to the long-time high school football coach who pushed to build Memorial Stadium while serving as the Seattle School District's first Director of Athletics.[6][7]

The facility is not operated by the Seattle Center itself, but is owned by the Seattle School District and still serves as the "home field" for some high school football games played within the district. Memorial Stadium also hosted the first AAA (now 4A) state championship game for high school football in 1973, the first year of the state playoff system.[8] The top-ranked Wenatchee Panthers were upset by the Kentridge Chargers, 26-24. Entering the title game, Wenatchee had given up just seven points all season and had been the top team in the state polls for four years.[9]

As well as hosting two iterations of the Sounders franchise, Memorial Stadium has served as home to several other pro and semi-pro sports teams. The Seattle Majestics, a women's American football team, played home games at Memorial Stadium from 2007 to 2009 before moving to Kent.[10][11] Beginning with the 2014 season, Memorial Stadium became the home to Seattle's NWSL soccer team, Seattle Reign FC. The stadium's capacity is limited to 6,000 for Reign matches.[1] In addition, Memorial Stadium is used for adult recreational league soccer and flag football.